This invention pertains to an optical fiber ferrule apparatus and a method for severing an optical fiber secured within a fiber optic ferrule. More particularly, this invention pertains to a ferrule preparation apparatus and method in which the fiber is severed through the application of a combination of energy and physical separation.
Optical fibers are becoming more widely used as a transmission media, and the increased use has increased the need for optical fiber connections to operatively connect one optical fiber to another. The operative connection is typically an aligned connection wherein two optical fibers are secured within ferrules. The ferrules are part of a connector assembly and each connector assembly typically has two sides which may be attached together and also detached.
In a typical assembly, an optical fiber is secured in a ferrule by gluing it, and the terminal end of the optical fiber protrudes out the first end of the ferrule.
The predominant way that ferrules with optical fibers glued therein are prepared is that they are severed by manually cleaving them to a location near the first end of the ferrule. Thereafter the terminal end of the ferrule end is sanded and/or polished back to a position such that the terminal end may be more finely polished by a polishing machine.
There are problems with the predominant way of severing the optical fibers, i.e. with the cleaving process.
It is desirable to provide a severing process with a more consistent starting point for the polishing phase of the preparation of the combined ferrule and optical fiber, although not required by this invention.
It is an objective of this invention to provide a more automated system for making an optical fiber ferrule and for severing the optical fiber in the process of making of the ferrule.
It is also believed that automating the process, as some of the embodiments of this invention, may result in a decreased operation time.